Potato digging machine



A. WIDUCH POTATO DIGGINQ' MACHINE Jan. 6, 1942.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 8, 1941 m M W Jan. 6, 1942. A. WIDUCH to'mwo DIGGING MACHIKE Filed Jan. 8; 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mvmox.

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Patented Jan. 1942 "UNITED STATES PATENT" orrlce I ro'rs'ro 6211: I l I Adam wiauon, Michigan 01mm I Application'January'S, 1m, sol-ms. 373,589

mu-51) The purpose of my invention is to provide a machineof simple and light construction and yet practical and efllcient. Another purpose is to provide such a machine that not only will dig up potatoes but will. also segregate them into grade according-to sizes and clean them of dirt and vines;

In carrying out the above purposes, I have introduced some novel features, whichwith other particulars will be.-descrlbed in the annexed drawings, in which: 7 v I Fig. 1 shows a side view of my machine partly in section.

Fig. 2 s hows a plan viewof my machine.

Fig. 3 shows asectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2. v

Fig. 4.; shows 'adetail pertaining to slidable' ears.

Fig. 5 shows another detail in enlargement;

illustrating a device to actuate potato screens.

adapted t be meshed with pinion 24 mounted on the same shaft which supports rollers 22. The arrangement is such that gear wheel may be disengaged from pinion 24 and this is done by means of a lever 26 and a spline 21. Since there is nothing new about this particular construction A and since any other arrangement may be used for that purpose, I am not describing it in more detaiL- Rising on the frame' II at each rear corner are posts II. A pair-oi similar-posts 32 are placed in mid-distance between the front and the rear I end. of the machine, while short posts 35 are placed right at the front end of the machine. Said posts 3i and 32 are connected by planks- 33 each of .which, towards its front end, meets another member 36 sloping down towards posts 35. Numeral 34 indicates a cross-bar connecting two posts 31. It will be understood that there Fig. 6 shows a screw conveyor which comprises Similar numerals refer 1 to simi ar .1 parts throughout the several views.

In general, my invention consists of a mechanism which plows up potatoes, lifts them with the soil, conveys them by means of a conveyor .tothe top of the machine where potatoes are thrown upon grading screens and are delivered by means or chutes to containers. Now I shall describe the machine in detail with referenceto my said drawings.

The machine rests on a rectangular frame it supported at the rear on'one wheel II from .a bracket-like member I! depending from said frame. At the front the machine is supported by two wheels I! mounted onia shaft is iournalled in block I: mounted on the upper side or mine 22 and 23, one pair or the rollers being seated on a shaft iournalled in brackets 29, the other in brackets 3|. It will be noted that the belts are quite narrow but that they support a web 2O made or canvas, which extends from one belt to .another.-. Raised strips 2i are located'trans-i are two such planks 33, which run parallel to 7 each other. This applies also to members 38..

Suspended by short metal. strips" from each I member 36 are deflectors 28-. These deflectors are disposed'on' each side or the conveyor belt and form a trough in which potatoes are raised to the top or the machine. Back ot'the belt conveyor I! are two screens" and 39, the first being suspended, by means of chains 40 from rods Ii, the second being suspen s by chains 42 from rods. The screens aremade in the' form of. rectangular trays and are provided with spaced wires 58 running parallel to each'other. -The difference, between the trays is that the distance a between said wires is smaller in the lower tray.

' '38, while thelower tray 3! A chute 44 serves as the outlet or the upper. tray is adapted to empty into chute". v

I have provided aspecial mechanism for the purpose oi. rocking the trays back and forth, and

this is accomplished bymeans of a crank 41-- mounted on shaft II, which is the shaft operating' rollers 23. .A bar 48 connects said crank 41 with a rocker ll pivoted in bracket II on the side or the. machine. The rocker is again at- 'of the machine for thepurposeoi' rocking the versclyonsaid'canvasand orm a part or the be t. 'l'hese strips may be made of rubber, wood I rockers .40 and I4 'flis'builtint'othemachinebelowtraysfll vapora m heal I, mtcd-'on.'m |o is illothstsoildmwin tmnisaiiitrays orother'suitablematerials 4. In order to' providemeans to operate, the contached by a connecting rod II with tray ll. -A'

similar arrangement is provided on the other side lower tray 3.. In. this case shaft l6 actuate:

zcrank '2, bar. I), rocker" and connecting :Ii whichis attached to the lower tray II. Ila

indicatesapairoimltsserving-tompporthfay ",while a pair ot'members II serve to support.

A sloping apron may slide down upon said apron and fell upon the ground under the machine.

It will be noted on reference to my drawings.

that the delivery chutes M and 45 are provided vided by me, mounted on brackets 50 and Ila,

as shown in the drawings. The outer end of the board, marked 51, is provided with two basket holders 59. These ar shallow metal trays provided with handles 80 ntaining slots" and are retained in place by bolts 82 within said slots. Owing to this construction it will be ea y to swin the holders in any direction which may be desired. When not in use, the holders may be so disposed upon the board that they do not interfere when the board is slid into the machine.

Still another provision has been made by me for the purpose of removing vines or weeds which aaeaaos it is preferably made of canvas. Therefore, when dirt and potatoes are thrown upon said conveyor the canvas may yield under the load forming depressions or pockets. when the potatoes have been conveyed to the top of the machine, they are thrown upon screens 38 and Q 10. from to the ground under the machine. Potatoes 39. While the screens are rocked back and forth by my rockers l9 andi4, soil is shaken oh. and falls through screens upon apron 83 and therewhich are large enough to be retained by spaced wires I! fall by gravity into chute M. Potatoes which are too small to be retained by said wires ll fall upon the second screen 39 and by gravity roll down into chute ll. Baskets placed in holders I! catch the potatoes that fall therein.

The operation of the screw conveyor 10 is obvious. The spiral web of the conveyor does not touch the top screen but allows enough clearance 20 for'large potatoes to pass under said conveyor.

may be brought up by the conveyor belt to the top of the machine and thrown upon the screens. This consists of a screw conveyor shown in Fig. 6. The conveyor shown in a dotted outline and indicated by numeral 10 in Fig. 1, consists of a metal shaft and a spiral plane made of rubber and is mounted beneath planks 33 transversely to the direction of travel of the belt conveyor.

It is operated from shaft 48 by means of belt pushed upward upon the conveyor 20. Lever i! 45 is provided for the purpose oi lowering the share to the required depth. The conveyor, as stated before, is made in such a manner that its surface is flexible and yielding, as

the screens to the ground would be pushed from the screens to the ground over the side of the machine by the spiral web of the screw conveyor.

Having thus described the construction and'the operation of my machine, I claim the following:

In a potato digging machine a frame supported on wheels, a pivoted, lever controlled share in front 0! the machine, conveyor means back of the share to the top of the machine, said conveyor means comprising two narrow belts, spaced from each other-and mounted on rollers and a flexible web stretched between said belts-and provided with transverse strips raised above the surface of the web, a plurality of superimposed grading screens suspended on chains back of the conveyor means, where the load of the conveyor means may be dumped thereon, rocker means to laterally actuate said screens, a plurality of delivcry chutes, each screen delivering its potatoes to a separate chute, screw conveyor means on top of the machine disposed transversely above the top screen'to divert vines, and means he sponsive to the rotation of the wheels to actuate the conveyor means, the screens and the screw conveyor,

ADAM WIDUCH. 

